21 day juice detox - day 11

Wow...over half way now. Feeling really great today. My friend Deborah and I went to a networking meeting for people in the alternative/holistic industry and there was a fascinating talk about the benefits of including flax seeds and oil in your diet by Clare of Flax Farm www.flaxfarm.co.uk
Flax seeds:

• Are very low carb and GI
• Gluten free
• Have more omega 3 than fresh mackerel 
• Have more fibre than bran flakes
• Are a rich source of hormone balancing lignans
• Are rich in powerful antioxidants

Some of the health benefits of including flax in your diet are:

• Improved digestion
• Smooth radiant skin
• Balanced cholesterol
• Supple joints
• Healthy metabolism
• Increased immune function
• Balanced hormones
• Healthier gut bacteria
• Stabilised blood sugar levels
• Reduced inflammation in the body

I was in a rush this morning to get to the meeting and I didn't have time for scrubbing and peeling so I just made a big batch of orange and watermelon juice. I had half a watermelon in the fridge that was already washed and I put that through the juicer (rind on) and mixed it with the juice from 5 oranges. Because of the rind the colour doesn't look that great, it's a little dark and muddy (you obviously don't notice this when mixing it with a green blend). If this bothers you just juice the flesh of the melon and save the rind for your next green juice. Don't let looks deceive you though, it tasted gorgeous!

Going back to the flax, I always have a little jar of ground flax in the fridge for Max to sprinkle on his food. If you do this, make sure you only make small batches as it doesn't keep fresh for long, and always store in the fridge. Clare told us that children who have omega 3 in their diet have better concentration levels at school and less occurrence of ADD/ADHD. Today I made Max a half raw meal of pasta salad consisting of gluten free pasta, peas, broccoli (all cooked) and finely diced raw red pepper and cucumber with a raw creamy tomato sauce. He absolutely loves sprinkling the flax on his food himself, and as this was a tomatoey pasta dish I mixed some of the flax meal with some nutritional yeast (a vegan health food containing B vitamins, protein, minerals and trace elements, with a savoury cheesy flavour). He ended up eating most of his sprinkle mix with his spoon!

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie. x

www.rawlifestylecoach.co.uk

21 day juice detox - day 7

Just a short post tonight as it's quite late. We started our day with a delicious orange, lemon and pineapple juice. My recipe somehow managed to make the exact amount for a big glass for me, a smaller glass for my husband David and a baby cup for Max!

Orange, lemon and pineapple juice recipe:
5 large oranges

1 medium pineapple
1 lemon
4 tbsp aloe ferox juice

Put pineapple through the juicer, juice oranges and lemon in a citrus juicer and mix together in the jug with the aloe ferox.

Went shopping for some more produce earlier and couldn't find any organic celery in my local supermarket. So David went to another supermarket and managed to find some, but only came back with one bunch! That's one juice taken care of then! Probably my fault, I should have specified how many I wanted.

Then my sister in law Shakira came over and she made us a juice that she named watermelon deluxe. It was delicious!

Watermelon deluxe recipe:
1/2 watermelon, rind on
1 bag (200g) spinach
4 apples
Juice of 2 limes

Juice everything, sandwiching spinach between apples. Mix with lime juice.

Another option when juice fasting is to have an evening electrolyte broth. This is simply vegetables boiled in water with a little pink Himalayan salt added. You strain the water and this is your broth. You can swirl on a little organic olive oil and add a sprinkle of cayenne or paprika. It makes a lovely change from juices, especially if you are feeling cold or are craving something savoury and salty. This is a bit difficult to make every evening just for yourself though as you end up getting through so many vegetables. So a quick and delicious alternative is to make a simple miso broth.

Miso broth recipe:
Bowl of warm water (not too hot as the miso has friendly bacteria and you don't want to kill it)
1/2 small clove of garlic, peeled
Small chunk of ginger, peeled
1/2 tsp. onion granules
1 tbsp. miso
Tiny pinch cayenne
Small drizzle of olive oil

Pour the water into a glass jug. Finely grate the ginger and garlic in, and whisk in the miso and onion granules. Strain through a nut milk bag into a bowl. Swirl on some olive oil and sprinkle over the cayenne if desired.

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie. x

www.rawlifestylecoach.co.uk

21 day juice detox - day 4

Went to my friend Kirsty's house today to look after her little boy, Ralphy while she went to an appointment. Max and Ralphy were born within three weeks of each other and have been best friends ever since. So I made a massive serving of juice to take with me and share, and to make sure I'd have enough for the day.

I was sooo excited the other day in the supermarket when I found myself face to face with organic watermelons! A very rare sight indeed, in fact, I don't think I've ever seen organic watermelons in the shops before! Melons are important to buy organic as they store pesticides and chemicals quite a lot. Watermelon is great for a detox, especially when the rind is juiced as well. It is a diuretic and very high in alkaline fluid helping to neutralise acids and flush toxins out of the system. I had to pause and appreciate the beautiful colours and form of this amazing fruit.

The juice I made with it was watermelon, cucumber, spinach & lime. I used the whole melon and a whole cucumber so there was tons of juice. If you'd like to try out this recipe (and I recommend you do, it's delicious) you may want to half the quantities.

Watermelon, cucumber, spinach & lime juice recipe:

1 watermelon

1 cucumber

1 large bag (350g) spinach

Juice of 2 limes

Juice everything, sandwiching spinach between chunks of cucumber and melon. Mix with the lime juice in the jug. This made three flasks and two glasses worth, enough for my whole days quota.

Another detox tool I'd like to share today is the ancient Ayurvedic technique of tongue scraping (Jihwa Prakshalana). I know, I know it sounds disgusting, but it is much better to remove the toxins and bacteria than let them get reabsorbed, which is also quite gross. When you fast, your tongue and teeth can get a coating and the tongue scraper helps you to remove this, speeding up detoxification and helping to keep your mouth clean. 

When I got home from Kirsty's I had a lovely swim and sauna. We are very fortunate to have access to a communal indoor swimming pool and sauna complex which is shared between the four houses on our little estate. Regular exercise is really important during a detox as it speeds up the circulatory and lymphatic systems which helps to move toxins out of the system. Having a sauna or steam also works in a similar way, except it's the heat which speeds up circulation. Plus with heat treatment you sweat, which is a great way to release toxic and waste substances from the body via the skin. Just make sure you shower afterwards to wash it all away!

Wishing you raw health and happiness,

Natalie. x
www.rawlifestylecoach.co.uk